— Originally published in The Diplomat. To read about the results of the election go here. — When Asia’s youngest nation heads to the polls for the second time in a year on May 12, Abel Da Costa just wants someone to win. Da Costa, 66, is a school teacher in Manleuana, a quickly growing

I’ve been living in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste since February. It is one of the world’s smallest and newest nations. Just over one million people live on half an island shared with Indonesia, independent since 2002. For a more complete background of this fascinating place see my previous post: Timor-Leste: a teenage nation as

I’ve been living in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste since February. It is one of the world’s smallest and newest nations. Just over one million people live on half an island shared with Indonesia, independent since 2002. For a more complete background of this fascinating place see my previous post: Timor-Leste: a teenage nation. Politics

Last year I went to the NYC marathon as a spectator. It was incredible. It was one of the most positive environments I had ever been a part of. There was no other team to root against, no one you wanted to do poorly. Every person there was cheering wildly for complete strangers. Many people

Today, hundreds of protests in nations around the world will join a grassroots effort called March Against Monsanto. But who is Monsanto and why should you know about them? You may not think you’re familiar with Monsanto, but you probably eat Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) created by them every day. They created the first GMO

Last Sunday Ecuador’s ruling party won another presidential election, though the opposition alleged fraud almost immediately. Election night witnessed opposition protests throughout the country. It was a predictable event. It was going to a very close election and the political climate has become so toxic that both sides seemed convinced if they lost it would